Saturday, October 6, 2007

Ode to Corn Dogs

First, a confession. I love hot dogs. The cheaper the better. Don't tell me any Upton Sinclair-isms, I don't want to hear them. I on purpose have avoided "The Jungle" my whole life. I like dark grilled hot dogs, almost burned, on the grill. I love them any way. Some day I'll tell you about my hot dog Reuben...

But no question, I love a corn dog. At the fair this time of year, I can't wait to have one. I love them at convenience stores, too. They're just special. I love them.

But being GF, well, it presents a corn dog "vacuum" that I wanted to fill. One woman on the CD forum suggested cutting them up in corn bread batter, and though that sounded yummy to me, it just wasn't the same.

I needed shape. Crunch. A whole hot dog. And I didn't want them deep fried.

Spray or oil the corn stick pan, but do not preheat it. Add a scant tablespoon to cover the bottom of each stick but do not fill. Nestle hot dog in stick but do not press in too hard. Batter should come up around (if you're using a cut hot dog, put cut side up.) Cover each til stick is filled and rounded. It's OK if the hot dog is peeking out a little on the end. Using a knife or your finger, draw lines between each stick to make sure they're separate and independent. (you will have batter left).

Bake at 350 degrees for between 45 minutes to one hour, until it is toasty brown and the bottom is crisp (you can lift the corn dog out to see if the bottom is crisp).

If you don't have a corn stick pan, which you might not, try this: Spread one-half batter on the bottom of an 8x8 baking pan. Put the 8 dogs in a row on top about an inch apart, spread out, and top with remaining batter. Bake about 15 minutes and score each corn dog in the pan. Finish baking until crisp and dark brown.

Let cool slightly, remove from pan, and eat.

The corn flour adds a distinctly different texture to these, more like the processed, thick batter on the corn dogs at the fair. They're just not as greasy. I suppose they could be very low fat depending on the hot dog you choose.

Oh how I love corn dogs, really really love them, with more mustard than dog sometimes. I will give this recipe a try. By the way - Ians makes GF corn dog bites (they are a bit chewy) and I just saw some advertised on Gluten Free Mall a month or so ago and have been looking for that brand to arrive in the stores. It helps if you can remember the name.